TTC Group

A senior police officer has praised the TTC Group - the organisation in charge of providing speed awareness courses throughout South Yorkshire.

Chief Inspector Ian Bint said that by calling in the TTC Group, an experienced driver training education company, to deliver courses it meant that police could concentrate on their “core” business without being diverted into creating their own training programme.

TTC provide an “off the shelf” speed awareness programme which has been very successful since it was launched throughout South Yorkshire in October 2007 with courses held in Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster.

“It is incredibly easy to administer from our perspective and allows us to deliver the courses without having to design them. It allows us to concentrate on our core business without being diverted into providing training and handling cash,” said Chief Inspector Bint, head of roads policing.

“A big benefit is the 24 hour online booking service run by TTC which allows people to book at any time of the day or night. People have busy lives and this way we get a big takeup of courses. We have a complete overview of the courses and we monitor the footfall which is excellent.”

Part of the administration costs from the courses have been re-invested by South Yorkshire Police into Operation Octane, which is a scheme aimed at educating motorcyclists to reduce casualties throughout South Yorkshire.

By ploughing back money from administration charges they are helping to fund a number of initiatives including projects working alongside the Safety Camera Partnership.

“We are re-investing in new road safety measures,” said Mr Bint, who aims to combat the road casualty figures for South Yorkshire.

TTC Director Malcolm Jones said the speed awareness courses had received positive feedback from both police and motorists.

“The courses are easy to book either online or through our call centre. Most people, almost 90 per cent, book online and motorists who attend the course say they have been able to improve their knowledge by re-learning forgotten driving skills. After the course they are much more aware of speed limits and the road safety reasons for sticking to them.”

He said there was a “growing realisation” by both local authorities and police that they must take action to combat 40,000 serious road crashes in the UK each year.

“Accepting sometimes that you are going to be late and that speeding is just not worth it is something I have taken away from this course. I thought it was a fantastic course,” said former nurse Clare Allen (43), who was caught on camera driving through Sheffield at 37 mph in a 30 mph limit.

“I do a 150 mile round trip to work and I got complacent about my driving. The consequences of losing my  licence are terrible. I live in the countryside where it is two miles to my nearest shop and there is a bus every two hours.”

Clare, who works in NHS education, said she now concentrates on driving when she gets into her car.

“I had got blasé about it. I just thought it was about getting from A to B. Now the course has made such a change to the way I drive. My boyfriend said he noticed the difference straight away,” said Clare, of Oakerthorpe, Alfreton, Derbyshire, who attended a course in Sheffield.

Sarah Thorpe, a secretary from Barnsley, said she was surprised that most people on her course were aged in their 50s and 60s and thought that younger drivers could benefit from it too.

“Everyone on the course found it beneficial. It has helped me to be more aware especially of what limit you are in,” said Sarah, of Meltham, Holmfirth, who was caught on camera at 52 mph on a 40 mph dual carriageway on the A34 in Cheshire.

Sarah says she now sticks to the speed limits and is much more aware of her driving and other traffic.

“It makes you realise just how many people are driving too fast. People push you from behind to go faster. I find that the majority of drivers are over the speed limit.”

A total of 555 people were seriously injured, 835 pedestrians hurt and there were a total of 6,246 crashes on South Yorkshire roads in 2006. Speeding was a contributory factor in at least a quarter of the 71 deaths that year, latest figures reveal.

Keith Blower (52), a Barnsley window maker, was on the first course after being detected by a camera doing 36 mph on his way home after watching Sheffield Wednesday lose on a Saturday afternoon.

“I was thinking about the game and the road went from a 40 mph to a 30 mph and I wasn’t concentrating. The speed awareness course though was very good. We all enjoyed it. It was fantastic and it really opened my eyes. I’ve been checking my speed ever since.”

The TTC Group, which is also the UKs leading provider of education for convicted drink drivers, is due to take over the running of the National Driver Improvement Scheme in South Yorkshire later this year. It also runs speed awareness courses in Merseyside and the NDIS scheme in Kent.

For more information about driver education visit www.ttc-uk.com or call 0845 270 4363.

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For more information contact Chief Inspector Bint on 0114 220 2020 or TTC Group publicity co-ordinator Elaine Adams on 01952 505026  07970 019184 or the TTC Group on 0845 270 4363.

Note to news editors: On the speed awareness course, motorists are educated how to identify hazards, recognise speed limits and consider the consequences of speeding. They hear that 80 per cent of pedestrians die when hit by a car at 40 mph while 80 per cent survive a 30 mph collision.

Three quarters of crashes are in urban areas, 23 per cent on country roads and just two per cent on motorways. Driver error contributes to 95 per cent of crashes and students on the course are reminded to take extra time on their journey, given advanced driving skills enabling them to recognise earlier potential road hazards such as roundabouts on the horizon or church spires in the distance indicating they are entering a town and a 30mph speed limit awaits them. The main “unknown” fact among drivers is that recurring lamp posts mean it is 30 mph unless there is a sign to show otherwise.

Many are on the course because they mistook a 30 mph limit for 40 mph. They are made aware how to “read the road” and recognise clues to help them identify speed related hazards.
South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership statistics:
• There were 6,247 casualties in collisions on roads in South Yorkshire in 2006. A total of 71 people were killed and 555 were seriously injured.
• Eight children lost their lives on South Yorkshire’s roads in 2006.
• There were 835 pedestrian casualties in South Yorkshire during 2006.
• 32 per cent of fatalities on South Yorkshire’s roads in 2006 were pedestrians.
• There were 286 pedal cyclist casualties in South Yorkshire during 2006.
• Speeding is a contributory factor in at least 26 per cent of collisions that result in fatalities. National research has shown that speeding is common with 50 per cent of all drivers admitting to exceeding the 30mph limit in urban areas.
• 80 per cent of pedestrians hit at 30mph will live, while 80 per cent of pedestrians hit at 40mph will die.
• An average family car travelling at 35mph will need an extra 21 feet (6.4 metres) to stop than one travelling at 30mph